Holidays In Madeira - California Cities Drawing 'Line in the Sand' in Plastic Bag War

A number of seaside towns have banned them or are in some process of doing so. It seems California coastal communities have drawn a line in the sand in the battle against plastic bags.

It is estimated that this action has reduced plastic bag use by 5 million per month in the first year. Now must use compostable bags made of recyclable paper or corn starch, now that the legislation has taken effect, these stores. They were the first city in the United States to do so and achieved notoriety here and abroad for their audacity. That city's Board of Supervisors approved legislation to ban plastic bags in large scale super markets and pharmacy chain stores, 2007, in March. Spearheaded the frontal attack, may have initiated the fight, the 'city by the Bay' in Tony Bennett's song, san Francisco.

According to E Magazine's rendition, intimidated by the threat, and Philadelphia followed suit, annapolis, other cities such as Oakland. The plastic bag makers threatened to sue whereupon the town retreated from immediately initiating the program, "Plastic Industry Strikes Back", according to an article in E Magazine in their July/August '08 issue. Found that out when they decided to ban plastic bags in local stores, in the Bay Area, california, the small town of Fairfax. Some have succeeded in the ban while others have had to rethink their proposals. Other seaside cities soon joined the crusade.

Ouch, violations will be an expensive option with fines of up to $1000.00! Large sellers will have six months to comply and smaller ones a year. Large and small, and it will apply to all retailers, 2008, the city council unanimously adopted their ordinance in May, in Malibu. The cities of Malibu and Manhattan Beach in the Southern California area have also enacted ordinances banning plastic bags.

The city council members are undaunted and plan to fight the lawsuit confident they will win in the end. A group of about eight plastics retailers and manufacturers are threatening to sue as they have done earlier in such instances. Apparently the plastic bag makers are not retreating quietly into the night. July, manhattan Beach is having a bit of difficulty with their ordinance passed just this month.

To argue that plastic is somewhat less environmentally costly than paper is rather a disingenuous approach to the problem wouldn't you say, and? Apparently not - just the manufacturing aspects, no. Are the manufacturers considering the overall polluting aspects of plastic in their arguments, however? Research shows that making paper bags as substitutes for plastic is even more wasteful of energy resources and emits more greenhouse gases making that choice one of prime consideration. In that they are probably somewhat correct. The basis for the legal stance by the plastics manufacturers is that substituting paper is far more environmentally harmful than plastic bags.

I am confident that with their ingenuity and innovativeness - if only predicated on the profit motive - they will do so. American industry is always behind the power curve on such matters until forced to confront the problems they have caused. They must find a better way.

One councilman says it is probably inevitable for such ordinances to pass along the coastal areas of California at least, although not supporting it as of yet. It is not an automatic with three votes needed to pass. So far two councilwomen have openly sided with the effort. 000 inhabitants enough excitement and popular support will develop to throw the council behind the ban, the Surfriders deliberately chose Encinitas because of expectations that with a core group of hardcore environmentalists residing there as well the upscale yuppie nature of its 63. Has now begun their look-see at such a ban spurred on by a petition signed by 1500 people filed with the city council by the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a beachfront community and environmental activist haunt, encinitas. Several cities are in some stage of enacting their own bans, in San Diego County.

Be considering enlisting in the plastic wars, with their adjoining city on the way to passing an ordinance, they must now. Prohibiting plastic bags with advertising to be used on doors and other places where they could cause littering problems, 2007, a so-called 'progressive' city - first in the nation to ban smoking on its beaches - enacted a law in December, solana Beach.

Plastic at sea kills! And oceans, waterways, in our streams, on our beaches, are discarded as litter along our highways and byways, - or worse, the rest go to our landfills. And only 5% or less are ever recycled, the average American is using over 600 plastic bags annually. Plastic bags are definitely a problem which must be addressed.

' It's a Lifestyle; his motto is 'Go Green is More Than a Slogan! He considers himself a frontline soldier; it's a start in his eyes. Wish him well. High quality shopping bags which appears to be doing well and is a supplier of ammo in the plastic wars, specializing in custom made, go Green Aid Company, he formed a business. Frank has recently begun making a reusable canvas tote shopping bag with goals in mind to make a difference in the war. And wrote an enlightening article on his own battle with plastic bags, aka 'Go Green Bag Man', frank Tinelli. ) I recently interviewed Mr. (How come I am not surprised at those New Yorkers? " which has become the rage with shoppers in New York. One successful attempt has been simply making a bag labeled "I am not a plastic bag! There are alternatives to plastic bags popping up everywhere on the net.

California has drawn the line in its coastal sand and is leading the charge! But we must begin now. It isn't a simple one nor will it take extreme sacrifice to resolve. We must now address this problem seriously. Plastic is a big problem - bigger than we may even expect or of which we are aware.